The present invention relates to a hybrid vehicle having at least one electric motor, which is usable as a generator during a recuperation phase and charges a vehicle battery and/or decelerates the vehicle.
The electric motor is typically driven as a generator during the recuperation as soon as a driver of the hybrid vehicle actuates a brake of the hybrid vehicle. However, the driver cannot clearly “feel” the brake pedal force at which recuperation is occurring as compared to the brake pedal force at which the conventional brake is activated. Strongly consumption-optimized driving is thus made more difficult.
The present invention is concerned with the problem of improving a hybrid vehicle in such a manner that a recuperation function thereof may be used better in connection with a predictive mode of driving.
The invention is based on the general idea of providing an actuating element independent of a brake system of a hybrid vehicle, by which a recuperation procedure may be initiated without activating the brake system per se. If the driver of the hybrid vehicle thus establishes that he must reduce the travel velocity and if he additionally assumes that he may achieve the deceleration required for this purpose exclusively using the electric-motor brake, i.e., using recuperation, he actuates the additional actuating element independently of the brake system and transfers the electric motor into its recuperation state, in which it acts as a generator. Especially predictive and thus energy-saving driving may be achieved by the additional actuating element independent of the brake system, wear of the brake system additionally being able to be reduced, because it is only used when a braking force generated by an electric motor found in the recuperation state is not sufficient for the required deceleration.
According to an advantageous refinement of the solution according to the invention, the electric motor is also transferable into its recuperation state via an actuation of the brake system of the hybrid vehicle. The additional actuating element independent of the brake system is thus also to be implemented in combination with a typical recuperation concept, the driver of the hybrid vehicle then being able to select whether he initiates the recuperation phase of the electric motor using the additional actuating element or using actuation of the brake system, for example, by stepping on a brake pedal. Of course, not only alternative actuation of the actuating element or the brake system, but rather also simultaneous actuation is also possible. In particular, this combination allows the driver to first reduce the velocity of the hybrid vehicle using the additional actuating element and, if he notices that this will not be sufficient, to simultaneously position a foot on the brake pedal and press it slightly. If a stronger deceleration is required at the end of the deceleration procedure than is possible through the electric-motor brake, the driver simply steps more strongly on the brake pedal and thus activates the brake system.
The actuating element is expediently manually operable. This offers the special advantage that the electric motor is transferable easily, using an actuating element to be actuated manually, into its recuperation state and simultaneously a spatial and haptic separation between the brake pedal and the additional actuating element may be achieved, by which an individual motoric may also be implemented, which spatially separates an actuation of the actuating element from an actuation of the brake system.
It is obvious that the above-mentioned features and the features to be explained hereafter are usable not only in the particular specified combination, but rather also in other combinations or alone without leaving the scope of the present invention.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.